Indian PM launches campaigns in favour of girl child ‎

Urging the nation not to regress to the 18th century mindset, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on ‎Thursday made an emotional appeal to end discrimination against the girl child.  Modi launched the ‎twin programmes of "Beti bachao, beti padhao" (Save the girl child, educate the girl child) and ‎‎"Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna" (girl child prosperity scheme)‎, in a bid to encourage birth and education of ‎girls and tackle the abysmally low child sex ratio of 918 girls for 1000 boys.  Describing the desire to ‎indulge in female foeticide as a "mental illness" Modi said that if this discrimination does not end it ‎could cause a "terrible crisis" soon because of a lack of women in the country. Incidentally the prime ‎minister launched the two schemes from Panipat in Haryana that has among the lowest child sex ratio in ‎the country (837 girls to 1000 boys).  Modi who slammed the audience for "double standards" in killing ‎daughters but desiring educated daughters-in-law also chose to attack doctors who assist in sex ‎selective abortions.  In a speech that was met with much applause, he said, "We cannot call ourselves ‎citizens of 21st century by practicing such a crime and we by our mindsets belong to 18th century when ‎daughters were killed soon after they were born."  Pleading to end this ill practice, he said, "The Prime ‎Minister of this country had come to them like a beggar and was begging for the lives of daughters."‎

Referring to Haryana, he said it was very painful for him to see that in a state which produced a woman ‎like Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman to have travelled in space, "other Kalpana Chawlas are ‎killed in the wombs of their mother".  He also launched Sukanya Samridhi Yojna (girl child prosperity ‎scheme), under which girl children below 10 years will have bank accounts with more interest and ‎income tax benefits.‎  

Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union ministers Maneka Gandhi, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani and J P Nadda shared the stage with Modi. Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit was also present to promote the drive against female foeticide.